Geoffrey Chaucer, The Physician's Tale

Daniel Kline (University of Alaska, Anchorage)

Ed. by , David Fuller, University of Durham
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1387

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)
Story

Resources

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The

Physician’s Tale

(

PhT

) is the first of two tales comprising Fragment VI (Group C) of the

Canterbury Tales

. The second of the two is the

Pardoner’s Prologue

(

PardP

) and the

Pardoner’s Tale

(

PardT

). The pairing of the Physician and the Pardoner seems incongruous on account not only of their respective subject matter but also, and perhaps even more, of the critical reputations of each tale. The Pardoner and his tale together are probably one of Chaucer’s most intriguing and critically appreciated creations, while the

PhT

has widely been considered one of Chaucer’s few literary failures. Larry D. Benson writes, “The tale is not a success” (p. 14). The editor of the variorum version of the

PhT

finds four primary reasons for this critical disregard (Corsa 28). First, the tale…

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2791 words

Citation: Kline, Daniel. "The Physician's Tale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=19965, accessed 22 November 2024.]

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Physician's Tale

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